Apple replacing 1st-generation iPod nanos due to overheating issue

Does anyone still listen to their tunes on a 1st-generation iPod nano?

According to a statement posted on the Apple website on Friday, the battery inside some of the early nanos could overheat, posing a potential safety risk.

“This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages,” the statement said.

As a result, the Cupertino company has launched a worldwide replacement program for the affected devices, which concerns those bought between September 2005 and December 2006. The early nanos have a black or white plastic front and a silver metal back. Later versions have a metal front and back.

The device’s serial number, found on the back of the nano, will need to be provided to confirm whether or not it is included in the replacement program.

As MacRumors pointed out, such a program was started in South Korea in 2009 and Japan in 2010 for the exact same problem. Apparently those programs were set up as a result of pressure from regulators. It’s not certain what prompted the start of the worldwide replacement program, or why it didn’t begin earlier.

Anyone that sends in an affected nano will have to wait about six weeks for a replacement to turn up, though whether it’ll be the original nano with a new battery inside or the latest version of the device isn’t specified in the statement.